Shipping container



Feb. 6, 1923.

l MMASII. Lemon.

SHIPPING CONTAINER.

FILED FEB. 21. 1922.

Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,450

F. BERDOLT.

MMM@

Patented lieb.. til, ltlil.

FRANK BERDOLT, OF CUXSACKIE, NEW YURK.

SHIPPING CONTAINER.

Application led'February 2l, i922.Y Serial No. 538,237.

1 /T0 @ZZ who/mv t may conc/rmx Be it lmown that l, Fenna Enr/.Domy a citizen of the United `fri-altes, and a resident otCoXsaclrie, county oi? xreene, and State ot' New York, have invented a new'and use 'ful improvement in Shipping Containers, ot which the following is a speciication. y This invention relates to containers and more particularly to shipping cases adapted for use in the transportation oit perishable goods at a predetermined temperature.

v A11 important feature of the invention relates to the provision ot a container tor ice and salt or a brine solution in combination with a compartment containing a porous material adapted to absorb moisture com-y ing from the melting ice, thus keeping the ood compartment substantially i" ry.

Another feature relates to the provision of interconnecting passages between the ice and absorbent material compartments, at the lower portion thereof, thus etii'ectually draining the ice compartment, and reducing the melting rate of the ice.

Jeinother feature relates to the provision of an air pocket or other liquid separating partition between the ice compartment and absorbent material.l

Another feature relates to the `provision ot means `for shipping material, such as fish and the like, with the ice packed in directly with the material, with a separate compartment for absorbent material for keeping the ice and material'frozen therewith clean and dry.

Another feature relates to provision of a single container for ice and food material, arranged for the insertion therein et' a plurality of containers for absorbent material. vAccording to this feature, the absorbent material may-be renewed as is found necessary, in relatively small amounts, without mate rial disturbance to the main portion ot the device. l

Other objects will appear from the tollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings' in which Fig. ll shows a horizontal section taken on the line l-l, of Fig. 2. Fig.` 2 shows a vertical section of one embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 is a erspeotive view with parts broken away, an Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a modified embodiment of thein'vention. Fig. 5 isa plan view of a further modication of the invention. Figi@ is a perspective view with parts brolrenaway,

and Fig. 7 is transverse section ot the absorbent material containers of Fig. 5. dig. 8 is a plan vier: ot another modifica tion of the invention.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, there is shown a shipping container comprising a plurality of nested receptacles, an inner receptacle l0 being arranged to contain material to be preserved during transportation, such as Ylood material, ice cream and the lilre. Surrounding the inner com-'..iiier l0 and spaced apart therefrom is a second receptacle ll having its bottom edge portions perforated as by apertures i9.. The space between the receptacle ll and the outer wall of the receptacle l() is lilled. with ice for maintaining temperature of' the contents or" the inner receptacle l() substantially constant. Surrounding the second receptacle il and spaced theretrom is a third receptacle 13 having its bottom edge portions perforated as by apertures le. mhe space i5 between the second receptacle ll and the third receptacle lforms an air pocket. Surrounding the third receptacle i3 and spaced therefrom is an outer receptacle 1G, which may rest against and be reeniiorced by trie outer wall i7 ot the structure. .fr single bottom 18 forms the bottom wall o the entire structure and similarly a lid 1 9 is provided Jor covering the entire structure. ln the embodiment shown in lili, s. l and 2 the in`v set receptacles are preterably circular and thus the outer wall l?, the bottom i8 and the lid 19 form a tub shaped container. Suitable handles, such as 20, facilitate handling the tub.

The space between the receptacle i3 and the outermost receptacle 16 is filled with liquid absorbent material, such'as sponge, sawdust or the like. rllie thickness of the absorbent layer should be approximately equivalentto trie thickness of the layer of ice between the outer wall or the receptacle l0 and the second receptacle ll. The absorbent `material lmay be held in a wire basket inside of the receptacle i6, so that it may be readily removed for drying.

lior separting the absorbent material lfrom the ice, and i'or` preventing ice from clogging the `air chamber l5, there is provided a cover 30 tightly fitted upon the receptaclesfll, 13 and 16,

lln the operation ot the structure shown in Figs. l and 2 the material to be transported is `placed within the receptacle l0 and this receptacle ,is then positioned substantially centrally Within the tub. The space Within the second receptacle l1 as Well as the space over the annular coverplate 450; then Jiilled with a suitable refrigerant, suchas ice, and salt or brine solution. As the icefmelts the moisture therefrom goes through the apertures l2 and 14 and is absorbed'by the absorbent material. This moisture is drawn upon .onlyfrointbe bottom portion and permeates the' inner mass oft absorbent material byl capillary action. kThe air chamber 4l5 forms c1-partition between the absorbent material compartment and the ice compartment .u moisture from leaking'throughto the ice compartment.

lathe modiiied embodiment of the inventionl shoivn in Aligs. 3 and fl, Wliichis particularly adapted for the shipment and preservation of `foods such as iish which may be mixedwith the ice or refrigerant material, thereis provided aninner receptacle i0 having the bottom edge portions ot its ivalls provided with apertures, such as lll. Surrounding the innerreceptacle. i0 and spaced therefrom isa seconclreceptacle l2 also having the'bottom edge portions or' its Walls perforated by'apertures such as l in air spacedlV between the receptacles 4.0 and l2 forms lan air compartment. The outer receptacle esurrounding the second receptacledZand spaced away therefrom forms the outer wall of the structure andbetiveen forr eifectually preventinff this receptacle and the outer Wall of the sec- .9,5y

ondreceptacle 4:2 there is provided a. mass ofabslorbent material 46, A bottom plate T isprovided for allot the receptacles in common and a removable lid 48 serves 4asa c losureforthe in nerreceptacle-O. in annular cover platel)` is provided. for sealing the upper ends ot the air compartment i4 and theliquid 'absorbing material compartment 416m A plurality of separator strips 50 may be provided for reniorcing the side Walls oi the various receptacles.

lmtheoperation of the structureof Figs. 3 and/1L, the lood material to be preserved is mined Witha refrigerant, such as ice, and is placed Within the receptacle 40. As the ice melts, the moisture therefrom flows through the apertures l1 and@ and lis absorbedby the absorbent material in the,V compartment 46, thus keeping the food compartmentclean anddry. 5

In` the inodiiied embodiment vshown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, there is providedan outer casing 60 and a plurality of relatively smaller containers (il positioned therein. Each of the smaller containers (il includes a compartment 62 lilled With amass o'lliquid ,absorbent material, such as sponge, sawdust andthe like, and includes an adjacent4 air compartment 63. partition 64C- separating tliese compartments is provided along its lo'vver edge ivitha plurality ot connecting passages, such as. 65.l The individual containers 6l are positionedvvithin the casing 60, so that the air space 63 is adjacent to the inner or food space and the Wall 67 of the ccntainer 6l which faces the space 66 is providedivfith a plurality of apertures 58. The top of each container 6l is sealed by a suitable cover'plate-691` (see Fig.

ln the operation ofthe structure shown in Figs. 5, 6 and?, the smaller containersl are yp ositioneffl within the casing 60 in the manner indicated; in rig. 5. fne space {it} may thenbe iilled with food and ice or other material to` be shipped and a suitable'cover (notshovvn) may `be placed over the casing 60. ispthe Vice .in the space, 66 meltsi, the moisture there-from flows through the connecting passage formed by the apertures and 68 Vvand is absorbed-bythe liquid absorbing` materialvin the compartment 62, thus ree-pino,r the food compartment. clean and dry. The individualcontainers'6l mav be taken out separatelyland dried or refilled with fresh. absorbent material Without disturbing menti The modified embodiment shown .in 8 is similar to that shown in `Fig] 5,'V excepting; that'a round tub 80 isemployed,k the. individual containers 6l being' positioned alongtlie inner wall'thereo'li: lThese individual'containers may be removedand'replaced individually, Wheneveritfis desired to renew the absorbent material.

The invention may be, practiced in a variety of Ways; for example, the `absorbent inaterial may be positioned in the bottomv ot" the container for absorbingthe moisture i'rom the ice compartment. l

Thus l have providedA a shipping` container adapted to retain a predetermined temperature for along time. The ice compartment is edectually kept `free ot'moisture in liquidiorm, that is, in a. form ata teinperature above the freezing point, `andthus the ice is not subjected to the. melting action which would be caused it'held in contact `with such liquid. This Willkeepthe box cold and the ice will not melt rapidly. Considerable savingin ice isfthusV effected and a4 shippingl container` embodying` the features of ythe'invention may be shipped a conthel material in the food compartsiderable distance Without losing its predetermined temperature. y

illustrative` apparatus has been described `for the purpose oi" showing away in `which the invention may. be practiced, but` it is expressly understood thatthe scopefof Athe invention is not to be limitedthereby, reference beinghad to the appendedclaims for that purpose.

I claim: v

1; A shippingcontainer comprising a ,plurality of nested receptacles, one of the spaces formed thereby being arranged to contain a lill) e ineens o moisture exuding material, and another to contain a moisture absorbing material, the

walls olf the receptacles between said spaces refrigerant to the absorbing material.

3. A shipping container having a mass of refrigerant7 and a mass ot absorbent material spaced apart therefrom. by a plurality of separating partitions, said partitions having apertures in their lower edge portions for the passage of moisture melted from the refrigerant to the absorbent material.

il. A shipping container having a mass of cracked ice, and a mass of sawdust spaced apart from the ice by a series of separating partitions, said partitions each having a plurality of apertures in their lower edge portions for conducting moisture melted from the ice to the sawdust.

5. A shipping container for perishable foods, comprising a plurality of nested receptacles forming a series or" spaces, a refrigerant in one or' said spaces tor preserving the food during shipment, a mass of absorbent material in another space, the receptacles having conducting passages be tween the refrigerant space and the absorbent material space for conducting liquid to keep the refrigerant dry.

6. A shipping container for perishable loods, comprising a plurality or nested receptacles forming a series of spaces, a mass of craclred ice in one of said spaces for preserving the food during shipment, a mass having conducting passages between the ice space and the sawdust space for condufti liquid to keep the ice dry.

7. shipping container comprising a plurality of nesten receptacles, the inner one for material to be preserved, the space outside or the inner receptacle and between it and the nent outer receptacle igor ice for cooling the contents ol the lirst named receptacle, the space between the second named receptacle and the nent outer receptacle for air adapted to serve a liquid separating partition, the space between the third named receptacle and the nez-rt outer receptacle for liquid absorbing material, the second and third named receptacles having perforations near their bottom extremities respectively tor conducting liquid melted from the ice to the liquid absorbing material.

8. A. shipping container comprising a plurality or nested receptacles, the inner one for ice and the material to be preserved, the space between the inner receptacle and the next outer receptacle for air and adapted to serve as a liquid separating partition, the space between the second named receptacle and the next outer receptacle 'for liquid absorbing material, the lirst and second receptacles having perforations near their bottom` extremities respectively for conducting material from the ice to the liquid absorbing material.

9. i shipping container comprising a re ceptacie, a mass of absorbent material positioned in one portion thereof, and a mass of ice positioned in another' portion for cooling the contents ot the container, the absorbent material being arranged to absorb moisture from the ice.

in testimony whereof, l have signed my name hereto.

FRANK BERDULT. 

